4th International Holcim Forum “Economy of Sustainable Construction”

Experts from all continents will meet in Mumbai at the 4th International Holcim Forum for Sustainable Construction – April 11-13, 2013. The conference for academics and professionals from architecture, civil engineering, urban planning, natural and social sciences will advance concepts on how construction needs to be re-invented and aligned with principles of sustainable development.

The focus of the three-day conference will be on the ongoing economic challenges in many parts of the industrialized world driving a paradigm shift. Governments, companies and individuals are all becoming aware that although sustainable development incurs costs, it also offers considerable economic potential. The Holcim Forum includes workshops and site visits and will be hosted by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT Bombay), and chaired by architect Mohsen Mostafavi, Dean of the Graduate School of Design, Harvard University, USA, together with co-chair, engineer Battula K. Chakravarthy, IIT Bombay.

Keynote speakers will be: Sir David Chipperfield, Principal of David Chipperfield Architects, based in London, UK; Alejandro Aravena, architect and Executive Director of Elemental based in Santiago, Chile; Lucas Bretschger, economist and Chair of Economics, ETH Zurich, Switzerland; Ian Morris, Willard Professor of Classics and Professor of History at Stanford University, USA; and Brinda Somaya, architect and urban conservationist from Mumbai, India.

Expert groups in four workshops will be organized as two half day break-out sessions and a full day guided “mobile workshop” (excursion), travelling to different sites throughout the city of Mumbai. The workshops will address the topic of “Economy of Sustainable Construction” by investigating four different themes: “Local resources: Leveraging regional skills and metabolism”, “Compact city: Sustainable or just sustaining economic law?”, “Retained diversity: Maintaining strengths while upgrading informal habitats”, and “Overall value: Harnessing all benefits from sustainable construction”.

A limited number of places are available to participate in the Holcim Forum. An attendance fee of USD 500 shall be charged which includes airport transfers, all meals for 3 days of event, participation fee, and a copy of proceedings of the event. Registrations will close on January 31, 2013: www.holcimforum.org/register

Full program details, speaker profiles and workshop overviews are available at: www.holcimforum.org